Crane attachment



`uly 24, 1956 H. v. BANNls-rER 2,755,573

CRANE ATTACHMENT Filed March 5. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY m fg/@2mATTORNEYS July 24, 1956 H. v. BANNISTER CRANE ATTACHMENT Filed March 5,1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ha roja 1./ anm'slr ATTORNEYS nitedStates Patent Patented July 24, 1956 CRANE ATTACHMENT Harold V.Bannister, Waverly, Iowa, assignor to Schield Bantam Company, Waverly,Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application March 5, 1951, Serial No.213,897

3 Claims. (Cl. .S7-144) This invention relates to a crane attachment.

The invention is more particularly directed to an attachment for a cranewhereby ditches may be filled, and the ground surface leveled or scrapedin a very eflicient manner. This attachment for accomplishing thefilling of ditches may be referred to as a back filling attachment forcranes and, of course, is also adaptable for use in leveling andscraping a ground surface, as aforesaid, and the crane, of course, is ofthe mobile type and the crane structure being conventional.

The type of crane to which I refer is disclosed in Fig. 1 of thedrawings in application Serial No. 171,082, lcd June 29, 1950, nowPatent No. 2,681,205 of January 15, 1954, or in the patents to Schield,2,402,299, .lune 18, 1946, and 2,405,981, August 20, 1946.

In sewer and pipe line work, the earth excavated from ditches runningparallel to the curb in a street is usually piled on the sidewalk or onadjacent lawns. Replacing the excavated earth into the ditch that hasbeen dug in connection with sewer and pipe line and similar work createsquite a problem with present day cranes in utilizing buckets and othersuch devices cooperatively associated With the boom of the crane. Thepresent attachment provides a very simple means of quite effectively andrapidly moving the excavated and piled earth back into the ditch withoutinjuring lawns adjacent to the ditch and from the opposite side of theditch from the piled earth. In other words, the mobile crane may bepositioned on the street parallel to but spaced from the curb and ditchand if the excavated earth is piled on a lawn or sidewalk adjacent tothe ditch, then the backtilling attachment as embodied in thisapplication serves to rapidly and effectively replace or backtill thisexcavated earth into the ditch, and in doing so, the piled earth isworked on from the top of the pile until all of the eX- cavated earth isreplaced in the ditch and the hoe which is an adjunct of the attachment,in its novel movement, in backfilling the earth into the ditch, servesnot only this purpose but to smooth the ground or earth adjacent to andover the ditch.

The utility of the backfilling attachment for cranes is not limited toreplacing the earth in a ditch or the like but the hoe that is anadjunct of the attachment may be utilized for leveling and scrapingpurposes.

Another advantage and feature of the present backlling mechanism forcranes is that the same is adapted to any hoe or trench attachment forthe cranes and these attachments are readily removable and replaceableor interchangeable so that the crane may be changed over quickly foreither trench digging or backiilling or scraping or leveling purposes.

In View of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide areadily removable and replaceable and interchangeable backiilling meansthat is operatively associated and connected with a boom and dipperstick of a conventional crane or earth moving and handling machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively simplebacklling attachment as an adjunct or attachment to a crane of themobile type so that the crane proper and the boom and dipper stickassociated therewith will allow for ready manipulation of the said boomand dipper stick and control of the backfilling attachment in order thatthe piled earth may be replaced in a trench or ditch by the movement ofthe attachment in a controlled plane toward the crane proper, meaningthat the attachment results in an engagement with the removed and piledearth and a movement toward the crane and between which the trench orditch is located.

Another object of the invention is to provide a highly mobile crane thatis adapted to have attached thereto a backilling mechanism which isassociated with the dipper stick, the latter being pivotally mounted onand carried by the boom of the crane and which attachment and dipperstick are operated by the conventional drag cable and hoist cable of thecrane so that the attachment on the dipper stick properly engages theexcavated earth and pushes it, so to speak, from a point removed fromthe ditch or trench into the trench and serves also to level thisremoved earth both over and adjacent to the ditch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a backiilling attachmentfor a conventional crane, which attachment is in the form of anelongated blade such as a hoe and which presents a substantially atperpendicular surface to the excavated earth while the same is beingmoved toward and into a ditch or trench and, likewise, presents thissame at perpendicular surface to the earth in a leveling or scrapingoperation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a backiilling attachmentfor a mobile crane wherein this attachment includes a substantiallyvertically disposed hoe which engages the earth to be moved and whichhoe, due to a certain linkage system, is maintained substantiallyperpendicular to the ground surface at all times during the movement orhandling of the earth.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction,within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

ln the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevational view looking from the rear of the crane andpartially fragmentary and showing the attachment in full lines anddifferent working positions in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a view of the attachment in perspective; and

Fig. 3 is a View taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. llooking in the direction of the arrows.

Like reference numerals and characters in the several figures of thedrawings all denote the same parts.

The invention will be more readily understood by referring to thedrawings in detail wherein the conventional crane is indicated generallyat l. The crane may be either of the crawler type or of the dual wheeltype as illustrated in Fig. 1, Fig. l of the drawings gives anillustration of the actual performance of the backiilling attachment andserves to generally indicate the functioning of this attachment and themanner in which the excavated earth can be moved into a ditch or trenchthat was previously dug.

The conventional crane 1 includes traction means 2 illustrated as dualwheels 2, or its equivalent, and the usual swing platform 4 that isrotatably mounted on and carried by the usual chassis of the vehicle asdenoted at 5. Ordinarily, the crane includes a cab structure 6surmounted on the swing platform 4 and with an ingress and egress meansin the form of a door'7, or the like. The front S thereof rnay beinclined with respect to lthe vertical and includes either an open panelor a windshield so that the Operator seated within the cab may readilyobserve the functioning of the backiilling mechanism while operatingVthe usual and conventional controls in connection with the hoist drum9, mounted within the cab on the platform 4. Additionally, the cranestructure includes the conventional A frame structure 10, one verticalleg of which A frame is mounted in a bracket 11 by means of a bolt orother securing means 12 `and which bracket is attached to the forwardlend portion 13 of the swing platform 4. Sheaves 14 and 15 are mountedadjacent the upper end of the A frame and which sheaves serve as a guidefor `the hoist cable 1 6, a portion of which cable is trained thereoverand also over sheave 17 that is positioned on the upper end of dipperstick 13 and this cable 16 is dead-ended to the A frame as indicated at19 while the free end of the cable is trained over the hoist drum 9.This hoist drum may be as depicted in my patent of January 15, 1954,hereinbefore referred to.

The crane boom B is pivotally mounted at 20 at its inner end to thebracket 11 carried on the forward part of the swing platform 4. The tipend B of the boom is pivotally attached at 21 to a Xed bracket 22 on thedipper stick 18 and adjacent the outer end of this dipper stick. Thispivotal connection 21 preferably consists of a removable bolt or othersuch removable or detachable securing means.

The dipper stick 18 is comprised of two substantially at elongatedplates 18a that are preferably maintained in slightly spacedrelationship with respect to each other so as to provide for rotation ofthe sheave 17 at one end thereof. Each plate of the dipper stick isprovided with a series of openings 23 adjacent the side edges 24thereof. These openings 23 of the two plates align and serve as a meansof attaching an extension or stick frame which carries the hoe thereonand referred to in detail immediately hereinafter.

The extension frame -is indicated generally at 25 and consists ofsimilarly formed, substantially flat, elongated plates 26 and 27 whichare held together by reinforcing and connecting web 28 that ispositioned between the same substantially intermediate the ends thereofand is welded or otherwise secured to each of the plates. These plates26 and 27 at their upper portions 26' and 27' respectively aremaintained in substantially spaced parallelism by the reinforcing andconnecting web 28 whereas the lower portions thereof 26a and 27b areoutwardly in a substantially inverted V-shaped form. The end of thedipper stick 18 is adapted .to be arranged in parallel substantiallycontacting relationship with and between the upper portions 26 and 27'of the stick frame and each of these upper portions of this frame isprovided with an opening 29 and which openings are in registry with eachother and are adapted to be registered with any of the selected alignedopenings 23 Vin the dipper stick. The extension or stick frame 27 isdetachably connected with the dipper stick 1,8,by means of the aforesaidaligned openings and a removable headed pin 30 that passes through theseopenings and is maintained in place by a suitable Cotter pin :or othersuch securing means, not shown.

The hoe or similar blade frame is denoted generally at 31 and the sameconsists of substantially right-angularly extending arms 3 2 and{33,vwhich arms at one end thereof are welded or otherwise lixedly orpermanently secured as at S4-to the Ytopedge 35 and preferably to areinforcing rib 3 6 of the substantiallyilat, relatively wide hoe orblade H. kThe Abladeor hoe frame 31 is initially a complete unit and, assuch, ispivotallyattached between the diverging or spread ends of theextension frame by means of a pin or bolt 37 which has a reducedthreaded end portion on which the `r1ut 38 is engaged to provide apivotal connection between the diverging ends of the extension frame 25and the blade or hoe frame 31.

The free ends 32 and `33' of the blade or hoe frame have positionedbetween the same a pin or bolt 39 similar to the -pin or bolt 37 `andthis lbolt 39 is maintained in secured positions by means of a nut orthe like 40. The bolt 39 serves as a means of pivotally connecting thepair of guide tubes or links 41 and 42 to the hoe or blade frame 31 orvice versa. The lower ends of the tubes or links are preferably enlargedas at 43 and surround a portion of the bolt 39. Thus, ,there is provideda pivotal connection between the links or tubes 41 and 42 with the hoeor blade frame 31 along with the aforesaid pivotal connection 37 for theblade frame assembly. The upper ends 44 of these tubes or links 41 and42 yare Yenlarged similarly to vthe lower ends thereof 43 and theysurround a `portion of a pin or bolt 45, which bolt or pin `iShfcldcd'at .one end and vheld in place by a suitable nut or other.securing means 46 and this provides a pivotalconneetion for the saidupper ends of these tubes or links .41 and 42. The upper end of theguide tubes or links .41 and 42 are pivotally connected to the fixedspaced lbrackets 47 and 48 by the bolts 45. The brackets are preferablywelded on the top flange of the boom adjacent the tip thereof or may besecured in any other manner. The brackets each has an enlarged hollowbearing A49 and the aforesaid bolts 45, of course, pass through theenlarged end portions 44 of the guide tubes 41 and 42 as well asvthroughthe bearing, and this complete assemblygcomprises the upper pivotalconnection for the guide tubes or links 41 and 42.

The A extension .or stick frame 25 substantially intermediate the endsthereof has on each of the parallelly disposed sections 26 and 27 anoutwardly extending rigid s trap 50 which constitutes a drag cablesheave bracket. There Iis an opening 51 in each of these brackets andthese openings 51 register with a series of registered openings V5,2adjacent the extreme lower -end of the dipper stick 1.8. A removable pin53 is adapted to be inserted through the registered openings 5 1 and 52and serves with the pin 30 as an additional means of securing the`extension or stick frame to the dipper stick `or vice versa and both ofsaid securing means are removable and replaceable, of course.

The forwardly projecting portion of the brackets 50 serves as a means ofpivotally mounting the U-shaped yoke 54,'b`y means of a removable boltor pin 54a, and which yoke 4has rotatably mounted therein the drag cable`sheave 5.5, and which sheave is rotatably mounted on a suitable pin orthe like 56. This sheave yoke 54 may lhave oppositely extending lugs 57thereon which prevent Vthe pivoted sheave from too closely contactingeither the dipper stick or the extension stick frame and which mightinterfere with the proper reaving and unreaving of the drag cable 58which is trained over this sheave-55.

It will be seen `from the drawings that the drag cable 58 is trainedover the sheave 55 and is dead-ended on the b oorn at 59 and this cabletravels over another sheave 60 carriedbythe boom and the free endthereof is wound ontothe drum within lthe cabin or the crane in theusual manner.

From the foregoing, it will be clearly seen that the pivotalconnectionof the upper ends of the tubes or links 41 and 42 to the tipend of the boom, the pivotal connection for the lower ends o f thesetubes or links and the pivotal connection with the lower ends of theextension or stick `frame 25 with the blade frame and the rigidconnection of `the upper ends of the extension frame with the dipperstick and the pivotal connection of the tip end of the boom with thedipper stick are all detachable and replaceable, thus the entire backfilling unit may, as such, be connected with or disconnected from theconventional crane structure. If found desirable, any one or more ofthese detachable pivotal connections may be disassociated from eachother and the backlling attachment partially associated with or detachedfrom the crane structure.

It is quite obvious that, when the backfilling mechanism as describedhereinbefore is utilized in connection with the boom and dipper stick,the bucket and its braces, if previously associated with the crane, musthave been removed and, similarly, if other attachments or adjuncts havebeen attached and utilized in connection with the crane, the same mustalso have been removed but the present backlling attachment and theother conventional attachments for the crane are interchangeable withthe crane structure and may be readily associated therewith or detachedtherefrom.

The combination and arrangement of the linkage of boom B, dipper stick18 with extension frame 25, blade frame 31 and guide tubes or links 41and 42, constitute a substantially parallel linkage system or motiontransmitting means for the disposition of the blade or hoe H relative tothe earth and which disposition of the said blade being perpendicular tothe surface of the earth during the earth moving and handlingoperations.

The motion and movement of the aforesaid linkage system from the startof a backfilling operation as shown in full lines in Fig. l progresses,as illustrated by the broken lines in this figure, so that the bladetravels in a substantially perpendicular relationship with respect tothe ground and moves the dirt or earth toward the crane and into a ditchor trench, or if the operation is a leveling or scraping one, this samerelationship of the blade with respect to the ground level ismaintained. The earth is actually pushed ahead of the blade H and, ofcourse, falls into the ditch thus lling the same and this blade passeson over the ditch in a smoothing and leveling action from the full lineposition of the same as shown in Fig, 1 to the broken line positionshown at the left side of the trench illustrated in this ligure. It isunderstood that when the operator reels in the hoist cable 16 the boom Bmay be raised and lowered and swung, if desired, with the swing platformto meet the requirements as to the height of the beginning of thebacklling operation or the scraping or leveling operation, whatever thecase may be, and, of course, as the pile of dirt or earth that is beingbackiilled is being handled, the boom might have to be lowered andraised 6 according to the prevailing conditions of the pile of earth ordirt.

What is claimed is:

1. A crane including a vertically swingable boom, a dipper stickdisposed across the outer end thereof, a pivot coupling between thestick and the boom end, said stick having a substantial portion of itsupper end extended above the boom, a hoist cable sheave pivotallymounted on the upper end of the stick, a fiat blade member disposedbelow the lower end of the stick, means pivotally connecting the bladewith the lower end of the stick for swinging on an axis paralleling theaxis of the said pivot coupling and including a shaft disposedlongitudinally of the top edge of the blade, a pair of arms rigidlyjoined to the top of the blade at the sides thereof and extending inright angular relation to and from the working face thereof, a pair ofelongate links each pivotally attached at one end to the free endportion of one of said arms and extending upwardly across a side of theboom and above the top of the latter, bearing means supported on andabove the top of the boom at a position inwardly from and above thepivot coupling for the stick, a pivot element carried by each bearingand having the upper end of a link connected thereto to turn on an axisparalleling the pivot coupling for the stick, and means for attaching adrag cable to the dipper stick between the pivot and the blade.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the last named means isadjustable lengthwise of the dipper stick.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the dipper stickcomprises an upper section and an elongate lower extension section, saidstick sections being in interengaging end overlapping relation, meanscoupling said overlapping ends for relative lengthwise adjustment andsaid means for attaching the drag cable being carried by the lowerextension section.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 898,593Nelson Sept. 15, 1908 1,561,694 Clutter Nov. 17, 1925 1,693,809 ClutterDec. 4, 1928 1,765,892 Wagner lune 24, 1930 1,769,269 Norris `uly 1,1930 1,819,590 Burke et al Aug. 18, 1931

